Liam Neeson turns middle-aged action hero in this gritty thriller from French director Pierre Morel. Neeson's brow is creased with furious intent as he plays an ex-covert operative who runs, kicks, shoots and punches a bloody swathe through Paris to find the men who've kidnapped his daughter (Maggie Grace). It soon becomes apparent that she's the victim of a major sex-trafficking operation, but any attempt to engage with this serious issue is drowned out by the crash, bang, wallop of bad guys (invariably swarthy immigrants) being dispatched. That's surely the influence of co-writer/producer Luc Besson (The Fifth Element), although Morel does counter the ludicrous Rambo-style moments with a bristling, raw energy to his camerawork. The physical punishment Neeson inflicts is almost palpable, but to his credit it's never at the expense of conveying his own sense of pain.

Bryan Mills, a former government operative, is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter Kim. After reluctantly agreeing with his ex-wife to let Kim go to Paris on vacation with a friend, his worst nightmare comes true. While on the phone with his daughter shortly after she arrives in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by a gang of human traffickers. Working against the clock, Bryan relies on his extensive training and skills to track down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launch a one-man war to rescue his daughter.